There are many good performances
of this, arguably Beethoven’s most beautiful symphony,
but none even come close to this legendary rendering
by Bruno Walter. Try your local record/music store, the
Internet, Kansas mail order stores, (such as Elusive
Disc), Goodwill, BMG Music Club, whatever, but find this
recording in any format that is in good condition. Don’t
get too hung up on looking for vinyl. The CD sounds very
good, too. Also there were a few SACDs made by Sony.
This is a must have for any classical music fan. Truly
this is one of the glories of recorded literature.

If one dismisses Artur Schnabel’s
late forties mono recordings with rather poor sound,
then Fleisher stands alone with such moving and emotional
playing that it gives one goose bumps. All the while
Szell is maintaining perfect balance between soloist
and orchestra. The whole scene is just a superb performance.
While the sound on these CDs is good, it isn”t
great. There is some tape hiss at times, but the sound
doesn’t get in the way of the music. BMG Music
Club has these fine concerti on two separate CDs that
are a later issue. I haven’t heard them, but they
may have even better sound. If you aren’t a member
of BMG, give me a call at 719-685-6144, and I can give
you more information.

If you should scan the field
for more modern recordings of these concerti, I would
caution you to try to listen to the women pianists before
you purchase. I’m sure that sounds sexist, but
to me, they appear much too accuracy driven rather than
feeling and emotion driven. I don’t know if Murray
Perahia has recorded any of these concerti, but I can
safely recommend most any of them with him at the piano.

I can’t imagine the
Chesky CD not being available anywhere. If you find it,
buy it and move on. It is superior in every way. If it
has simply dropped off the face of the earth, then the
Davis / LSO is the next best choice. I think it is available
on SACD, but I haven’t heard it. My red book CD
has very good sound, and the performance is very good
too. The Paray / Mercury SACD has a satisfactory performance,
and it has very good definition – though my copy
has audible tape hiss. Neither the Munch nor Karajan
LPs are as good as the CDs above. Munch’s performance
is better, but DGG’s sound is better.

These two composers are lumped
together because their dances are both delightful, lively,
foot stomping, entertaining music. While the music is
different, they are both based on Eastern European folk
dance music. All of the above listings should satisfy,
but there are preferences. I will give you my recommendations
by composer.

Brahms:

Kubelik has a way with these
dances that is just mesmerizing, and the sound on my
Capitol LP is excellent. (#1)

Dorati is not far behind
Kubelik, and the sound on the Mercury LP is slightly
better. (#2 but close)

The Reiner / London is not
quite as good as the above two in either area. (#3
but again close)

Abbado / DGG is #4 by a
centimeter and Masur / Philips is another centimeter
down at #5.

Dvorak:

These aren’t as close
as the Brahms Dances. The Szell / Columbia LP stands
alone and is excellent in every way. If you do vinyl
and you can find this one, it is the one to have. It
may be available on CD. I haven’t looked.

If the LP isn’t available,
then the Teldec / Harnoncourt is a good choice on CD.

I have only heard these fine
works by Copland himself, Bernstein, Leonard Slatkin,
and Gerard Schwarz. It’s no contest. Bernstein
towers above the others. The sound on the CD is excellent.
I also have the 2 LP Columbia set and it is slightly,
but yes, better than the CD. If one could find a mint
Columbia 6 eyes LP, it would probably be the best of
all, but don’t pay a fortune. These others are
not that far behind.

This is, for my taste, the
most beautiful symphony ever written, and the Solti /
Chicago CD is perfect in every way. It shouldn’t
be too hard to find, so don’t miss it. If you don’t
have a CD player, the DGG LP is also first rate -- assuming
you can find it. It is, however, not on a par with the
CD.

Of Mozart’s 27 piano
concerti, the 20 th and 21 st are by far the most popular.
Radu Lupu along with Murray Perahia are to Mozart as
Arthur Rubinstein was to Chopin – superb interpreters
of these respective composers’ music. Lupu and
the London LP are simply sensational. It may be difficult
or impossible to find, but it is certainly worth looking
for. My copy is imported with a small British flag on
the corner of the record jacket. I don’t know if
there was a New York pressing. If you don’t find
the LP, the Bilson / Archiv CD is a somewhat worthy successor.
It isn’t in the league with the LP, but is the
best available on CD. It also has the advantage of having
both of these masterpieces on one CD. The real beauty
here is Mozart’s music, and it comes through with
all its glory.

Though I have only scratched
the surface, that’s it for this episode. It may
appear that I am taunting you with out of print records
and CDs. That certainly is not my intent. I am a firm
believer that music must be shared to reach its maximum
benefit, and I want to share these wonderful recordings
with everyone. They are simply the best. That is why
they are listed. If you work at it, it is amazing how
many of these great recordings you can find. With proper
cleaning and care, they can sound very good as well.